Post navigation

People, I am so excited about this recipe, it’s pretty much all I can talk about this week. I mentioned it to a broker who showed us another dud of an apartment (more about that if/when we make it out alive). I mentioned it to a friend who doesn’t eat sweets (and we’re still friends! Really, it’s more for everyone else.). And I tried to explain it to another friend who has probably never baked in her life, who politely nodded, smiled and scooted out of the room. As you can see, I can be incredibly boring when I get excited about cooking. That’s what you’re here for.

I have been wanting to come up with a completely home-baked, from scratch and all-natural chocolate wafers for years. It has been an outright obsession of mine, since Alex introduced me to the fabulousless that is Icebox Cake and I was disappointed to learn that the only way to make it was to buy some often-hard-to-find Nabisco chocolate wafers with their own set of disconcerting ingredients. I knew a homemade recipe was out there — for crazy people like me, it’s not like if you’re looking for a shortcut, the store bought ones still won’t do — but I had a hard time finding it.

Icebox cake wafers are not any old wafers, they need to have the ability to absorb what is around them and become cake-like — in the end, the cake slices like one, not like a stack of cookies slathered with lightly sweetened whipped cream, taking on the resemblance of a decoratively assembled plate of Oreos and eee, am I the only one drooling right now?

So you can imagine my ecstatic excitement discovering that I had a chocolate wafer recipe in front of me the whole time. In a cookbook I have owned for years. From a person who seems as obsessed with getting the chocolate wafer right for icebox cakes as I am. Oh, and if you need another bonus beyond that? They’re insanely easy to make, whizzed in a food processor and then sliced from a refrigerated log. It’s like Alice Medrich knows you just want to get onto the cake-making already!

That isn’t to say that a chocolate wafer is only good for icebox cakes — perish the thought! These cookies are amazing on their own, whether you have one with coffee, dunked in glass of milk or a bowl of ice cream, or heck, even make wee ice cream sandwiches with them. (Keeping them in the freezer overnight will cause the cookies to soften a bit, much like the ice cream sandwiches I grew up with!) I could imagine adding a dash of peppermint extract, enrobing them in chocolate and making home Girl Scouts-style Thin Mints with them. The possibilities are endless and I would like to taste one of each. I’m ambitious like that.

I don’t usually make a big fuss about buying this brand or that of a product. I don’t believe you need zillion dollar, hard-to-find ingredients to cook well. But there are some recipes, recipes that get their primary flavor from a single ingredient where that quality of that ingredient largely informs the quality of the end product. (I’m thinking of the butter in shortbread, the stock in risotto or soup, etc.) In this case, that cocoa you splurged on that one time for a special occasion might just be ready for its closeup. I went for what I consider “la creme”, Valrhona — I’m throwing this out there not to pressure you to buy something you might feel is out of your budget, but so so you know why my cookies are so dark; Valrhona is a very intense cocoa — but if you have another decadent favorite on hand, go for it.

These cookies are crisp and not overly sweet. They’d be good with anything from coffee to ice cream to fancier things, like ice cream sandwiches, crumb crusts and icebox cakes (scroll down for an Icebox Cupcake recipe).

Last note: As an icebox cookie, these will take longer to soften than the store-bought wafers, so set aside more time than you normally would. I think 24 hours in the fridge would be ideal.

Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Cut the butter into about 12 chunks and add them to the bowl. Pulse several times. Combine the milk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper or foil and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into slices a scant 1/4-inch thick (I went thinner, closer to 1/8 of inch. If you’re trying to emulate the store-bought wafers, slice as thin as you can, and watch the baking time carefully, as it might be less.) and place them one inch apart on the lined sheets (cookies will spread). Bake, rotating the baking sheet from top to bottom and back to front about halfway through baking, for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1 1/2 minutes after they deflate.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely. These cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or be frozen for up to two months.

Note: These cookies should crisp as they cool. If they don’t, you’re not baking them long enough, says Medrich — in which case, return them to the oven to reheat and bake a little longer, then cool again.

Icebox Cupcakes

I came up with these a while ago as a way to make the icebox cake a little more single serving size. How many you’ll get depends on how many you want to stack — I use five, but the height comes up a tad short of your standard frosting-dolloped bakery cupcake. They’re decadent enough, in my opinion. Keep in mind that your cupcake will be too big for a standard sized paper liner, I just pressed the sides down a bit to make mine work. But if I knew I was making an entire batch of these, I’d make the cookie log smaller, more like 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Makes about a dozen cupcakes, but this will vary depending on the size and thickness of your cookies, and the height of your stacks. I use five apiece.

Whip cream with a spoonful or two of powdered sugar and a dash of a flavoring of your choice, until the whipped cream holds firm peaks. Spread about two teaspoons whipped cream between each cookie, to the edges, and stack them until you reach the height you’d like. If you spread whipped cream on top of the final cookie, you will end up with a softer lid — a good thing — but I prefer the look of the brown cookie top.

Set them in the fridge at least overnight or up to a day. The cookies will soften as they set, and become cake-like.

I love these cookies and make them pretty often. I have a hard time slicing them thinly, though. They crumble or go crooked at any less than 1/4 inch for me. How did you do it? I use a pastry scraper like a guillotine — straight down. Love your work!

Elena — I used a very sharp paring knife and had no trouble. If your cookies are crumbling, they may be too cold to work with. Let the log warm up a bit.

Question: Get a lot of notes from people who have trouble slicing log cookies like this without them crumbling. I just assume that everyone uses a) a very sharp knife and b) puts their fingers on the slice as you’re cutting to keep it from flopping over (it will easily break), instead letting your hand catch it and move it to the baking sheet. Am I assuming too much? Or is this an implicit understanding whenever we talk about slicing something thinly/carefully.

I actually have made similar wafer cookies before and dunked them in mint scented chocolate to make imitation thin mints. And they pile drove the girl scout thin mints into the ground in the taste department. I will never go back! I am excited about giving this wafer recipe a try and possibly doing the same to these but also making ice cream sandwiches. Those were always my favorite in school. . . I see some chocolate gelato making in my future as well. :)

Egad! I have a friend who doesn’t like sweets either–what the heck?!? Except she loves dark chocolate and coffee ice cream. I’ll have to test the combination on her and see how it fares with her distinct palate. Thanks Deb!

I love how thin these are! Very tempting. I will try and track down some powdered Valrhona – we enjoy Valrhona bars all the time but the powder is harder to find. Good luck with the apartment hunting. I hope you find something with a big kitchen!
Phoo-D

So nice to see you featuring a recipe from my absolute favorite baking book. Alice Medrich is amazing and I’ve gotten to a point where I trust everything she writes without even thinking about it.
These cookies are great. I made them to make her white chocolate mint sandwiches and froze a bunch of the plain wafers. They are so good eaten straight out of the freezer!

Well, now, I was all set to make the “faux-reos” on the KA Flour website (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/faux-reos-recipe) until this beauty of a post showed up today. Yours has no egg, and I am sold on that! This also sounds similar to a thin mint cookie recipe from Everyday Food mag, which I had pretty decent success with.

On that sneaky crumbling problem with slicing cookies from a log, I did learn a huge lesson from watching Gina DePalma make biscotti online. Turns out when you roll cookie dough in a log you really need to compact it well with your hands. Maybe that’s the charm here?

Lastly, I need to say this – I LOVE your blog! And your photos from your recent trip – you are such a cutie! You would pass for an Italian cousin of mine any day. ;)

OMG OMG OMG! To be honest, the idea of the icebox cake kind of intimidated me. Cake construction & I don’t get along. But cupcakes I can do! Also – I swooned at the mention of homemade thin mints! Deb – you are my baking hero!!

Oh, I am totally with you in your excitement. I have always avoided those yummy sounding recipes that require chocolate wafer cookies, because I have never bought or even noticed them at the store. Yeah…I will finally be able to make them myself! Very cool! Thanks so much!

My mother always made that cake for dinner parties, with the Nabisco wafers and cool whip (bluch!) But with whipped cream base and homemade cookies . . . this could be an entirely different animal. Also, very clever to make it into cupcakes! Great idea!

I remember what a revelation it was when I discovered icebox cake! This looks just perfect–I love the cupcake/single-serving idea. I don’t know how you manage to bake all these amazing things and not weigh 500 pounds. . . I have to curb my baking because any time something turns out this good, I want to eat it all!

Oh, and I go with Alice’s suggestion of a natural (non-alkalized) cocoa and use Scharffen Berger for these. It’s great.
For those who have trouble getting Valrhona, besides Whole Foods, it’s also available at New York Cake & Baking Distributors.

Great recipes Deb! I’ll attempt the wafers, but I know my yield will be significantly reduced due to my inability to slice cookies properly. They always break on me, no matter the knife or technique. But this recipes seems worth the frustration :)

I never thought I’d be drooling over icebox cake again–when you have a daughter who likes to cook…can you imagine how many times she wants to make icebox cake since it’s really the only thing she can make “from scratch” and “without you” for years and years and years. And every holiday, in holiday colors courtesy of food coloring? Well, I’m drooling again…

LOL – spoiledonlychild, “if it’s wrong I don’t want to be right” Sorry for going cliche on you deb.

Is it wrong that I knew exactly what the post was about just from the pic (I use reader so I see the title pic before even reading the title. As a mom who avoids transfats and corn syrup I’m always on the prowl for from scratch items. Did you see that the king arthur baker’s banter blog did an oreo (and trader joes Jo Joes) copycat?

Oh my goodness a week ago I pulled up the recipe for the icebox cake and gazed at it lustfully for 30 minutes, I even went as far as looking at the waffers on Amazon! I cant wait to make these, maybe I will make a few rolls and keep one or two in the freezer. Thanks!

I am still trying to figure out how to write/cook my blog when you keep distracting me with chocolate wafer cookies and pound cakes. My readers are suffering as my friends and family are loving every bite. I love my audiences. N

Ah.. slicing tip! I slice my bread and icebox cookies by pressing the end to be sliced up against something sturdy..like the end of my counter run. I hold the back end firmly but gently in place while I slice through the cookies or bread from the opposite end. I hold it only loose enough to allow the knife slice through easily without mushing down the dough..or bread. I remove the slices after about 6 or so, so I don’t smoosh them. Works well for me!

These wafers sound great Deb. They’d be a great base for mini cheese cakes too! Mmmm!

Oh, these icebox cookies are fantastic! I can see these as little button cookies with fruit compote, or one the side with a nice little mousse . If you chill it a little longer, is it less likely to spread?

Oh…another idea! You can probably roll the dough into marble size balls and press them right on the parchment lined cookie sheet with the bottom of a glass. You can either roll the balls in sugar or dip the glass in powdered sugar mixed with cocoa. Or use your favorite hot cocoa mix.

I did this trick with the marzipan to make the roses for that Pistacio Pettifore Cake. It was so easy that way!

Isn’t there a recipe for an icebox cake in the Baked book that you’ve raved about on here (Which btw, is the reason I bought it myself! Thanks!)? I haven’t tried it mostly because it looked so complicated. Have you looked at that one?

I usually use the Christie chocolate wafers and never have problems finding them. Maybe that brand is only available in Canada? And I call this cake a “Convict Cake” because when sliced on the diagonal and using plain whipped cream, it looks like old-fashioned jail suits!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Just two weeks ago I drove to the four different grocery stores in my area looking for wafer cookies to make an icebox cake and NONE of them had any. I am soooo excited to try these!

Rearding slicing the wafers thin enough without crumbling…..I wonder if you could use a cheese wire to slice the log. It would certainly cut down on the surface tension and that might make it easier to slice thinner slices. I suppose it wouldn’t smash a flat side onto the log, either (if you’re that obsessive compulsive about your cookies like I am). Hmmmm….I’m going to have to find a cheese wire just to try it out.

Shannon — I haven’t made the one in the Baked book. But I have the old-school version on this site.

Spoiledonlychild — I hadn’t much considered whether it was “okay”. But like I’ve said before, I don’t entertain conversations about dieting/healthy eating on this site because I don’t subscribe to any belief system besides moderation. Baking chocolate wafers and stacking them into a cupcake once in a while isn’t a problem. Eating all of them is.

Looks yummy and much more to my liking than buying them, however, after all the comments about how hard the Nabisco version are to find I have to pass on a little secret. The grocery store I go to most often had them on their website but I could never find them in the store – I finally asked. They aren’t on the cookie aisle, they are with the ice cream cones. Out of curiosity I paid more attention when I was in a couple of other grocery stores and there they were again, with the ice cream cones. I don’t know if that’s just a southern thing or what but if you’re looking and can’t find them check near the ice cream where they have cones and toppings.

YES, YES, DEB, YES! I have always wanted to find a decent recipe to make these wafers from scratch, for this very purpose! Thank you!
And doesn’t the addition of “icebox” to something make it immediately and adorably nostalgic and comforting?
Maybe that’s just me.

O.M.G.!!! I was introduced to Icebox Cake (without a name) two weeks ago in rural West Virginia and hadn’t crossed paths before (I didn’t read you back then, or I wasn’t ready to “hear” it). They explained it to me and I already found some wafers to try and was waiting for a reason to figure out the mechanics. And here we are – mechanics AND the ability to make the cookies (which I hadn’t even gotten to thinking about, yet). Thanks. Seriously.

I’ve thought about making this recipe before–your reaction, and your icebox cupcakes, might just get me over the hump. Question: I read your note about cocoa powder but I see that there is baking soda in the recipe–could I use natural cocoa powder if that is what I prefer or should I stick to Dutched?

Please, please tell me the source of the quote, “no kitty, that’s my potpie!” I remember it from my childhood, 60 plus years ago, and have searched high and low for it. I love your cooking, baking and you seem like the lovliest girl. Hope you don’t mind I called you a girl. An old habit hard to break. Continued success. I have enjoyed so many of your recipes!

Icebox cake is an old favorite in my family. Sometimes we add raspberry jam or peppermint extract to the whipped cream, but I think homemade wafer cookies would improve a great thing even more. You’re right that those famous chocolate wafer cookies can be hard to find, so I am looking forward to trying this recipe.

i can’t wait for the weekend… I have to make these, the cream cheese pound cake (just bought a bundt pan and can’t wait to use it), repeat batches of Leite’s chocolate chip cookie and the world peace cookies, AND the slice and bake cookies!!! Now who am I going to find to eat all that?…

I’d just like to boost your opinion of Valrhona and encourage anyone who plans to make these wafers (and i do) to please use the Valrhona. I know Callebaut might be less expensive at the local Whole Foods (or wherever you buy bulk chocolate), but Valrhona really is better. Sharffenberger is good, too, but really…use the Valrhona. You won’t regret it. It’s really great chocolate. (Try not to be jealous but for awhile, I was a chocolate buyer at my local Whole Foods, and so I happily got to taste quite the range of chocolate.)

Amazing. It’s like you heard my most desperate cry. I live on a little island off of Honduras and if you think getting Nabisco wafers is hard in the US imagine down here. My mom brought some when she came at Christmas and after we polished off the ice box cake I sighed and thought, “Guess that’s it until I’m back in The States.” HA! WRONG! I am SERIOUSLY grateful to you for this.

Deb! Thank you! I have been longing–no, craving–your icebox cupcakes, but since I’m gluten-free I was left to drool without satisfaction. Now that chocolatey, creamy, fantastic goodness can finally be mine. :)

Liz: I have both Valrhona and Scharffenberger and strongly prefer the Scharffenberger. And Medrich herself prefers natural. Not saying one is better than the other, just saying that if the natural sounds better to you, it sounds like it is just as good to try it. I just don’t love Dutched cocoa. :)

Laura: Totally agree. Chocolate is such a subjective topic and you’d be hard-pressed to find people who agree on what is “best.” It really comes down to tasting. Medrich describes the Dutch vs. natural debate with this:
“Chefs and consumers, vary in their preferences for these two styles of cocoa. Of course, quality makes a difference, but it is worth tasting different cocoas to learn your preferences. Fans of Dutch-process cocoa extol its rich color, toasted nutty flavor, and coffee notes, while others find the taste dull, dusty, chemical, uniform, and lacking in fruitiness. Natural cocoa tastes vibrant, fruity, and complex to its admirers (including me) and harsh, bitter, and sour to its detractors.”
She recommends natural cocoa for a lot of her recipes based on flavor. Of course, there’s also the matter of the type of leavening used in a recipe.
I use both types, choosing one over the other depending on the recipe.
And while I love Valrhona, for those who can’t get it, a few other great cocoas besides Scharffen Berger include: Pernigotti (I think Williams Sonoma sells it), Bensdorp, Merckens, Felchlin’s, Cacao Barry, and De Zaan (King Arthur Baker’s catalog has it, I think). Most of these can also be purchased through:http://www.chocosphere.com/cgi-bin/webstore/web_store.cgi?page=main.html&cart_id=5553207_16735

Be-still-my-heart. I love that trashy cake too! Making it from scratch is brilliant. I seriously can’t wait to try this. Everyone is always impressed by that silly cake and this would knock their socks off.

My sister made chocolate wafers at Christmas and served them with dessert cheese balls made with cream cheese mixed with sweet stuff. One was rolled in crushed candy canes and one had caramel, fudge, and nuts. They were a big hit!

Wow, the real deal! I grew up having what I now think were faux ice box cakes – gasp!! They were always fantastic and solidified my love of food neatly layered. They were made with graham crackers – regular or chocolate with chocolate pudding and whipped cream, for some parties there was some Fra Angelico sprinkled on the layers. I know sounds ridiculously simple and plain -but ohhhh so good!

Deb, glad to hear about apartment hunting, when I read about the size of your kitchen, I wondered what wonders you would be capable of with more space…

Alice Medrich is AWESOME. Her brownie technique (baking at high heat and then submerging the pan in an ice bath) is one of my favorites, so it’s not surprising that she came up with this fabulous chocolate wafer recipe for you! Alice to the rescue!! These look totally fabulous. I love that they can “absorb” the flavors around them, and yes, I was drooling when you stacked them with whipped cream. How fabulous! (P.S. Good luck in teh apartment hunting!)

Laura — There was no warning not to use Dutched, so I would assume it works as well.

Phoo-D and MK — I would definitely not assume that my kitchen is going to get bigger! In fact, it is looking like it may go in the opposite direction, whimper. But other things will hopefully be an improvement, you kinda have to pick your battles in NYC real estate! (Then again, I’ve never felt that my kitchen was too small. It works just great for me.)

Everyone — No need to debate the merits of different brands of cocoas. I mean, I know I suggested using a better one, because I believe it stands out in this recipe, but in the end, it only matters that you like the flavor — whether it’s natural (Medrich’s suggestion that I didn’t bother repeating, because like I said, it is up to you) or Dutched or not. There is not a correct cocoa. I mentioned Valrhona mostly because I knew if I didn’t, people would ask why my cookies are darker than theirs.

Re, Scharffenberger — I love it too but Hershey’s is about to make a lot of production changes. I am cynical and don’t assume that it will be as good in the future.

Deb,
your cookies look awesome! She has similar recipe (I think it is the same but I don’t have Pure Dessert to compare) in Bittersweet. The difference (with your recipe) is she calls for low fat (1%) milk or water on it. I have made it with both – and I find the one that uses water is crispier. Am goign to try yours with the whole milk :-)
On the chocolate – there is a chocolate note in Bittersweet where she said to use either Natural or Dutch Processed but not *black* cocoa. I think Valrhona is Dutched, no?

These sounds delicious. I don’t currently own a food processor (which shouldn’t keep me from making these cookies since I do have a blender) but I think presenting such a recipe as this to the husband would convince him to let me make the required investment.

What?! How did you get in my head? Ice Box Cake (a la Nabisco) has been my favorite dessert since childhood. And I was just recently thinking “wonder if I can make a cupcake version?” and “wonder if I can make my own wafers?” and “when will Smitten Kitchen answer my thoughts?” Well, not the last one, but you did. Thank you!!! meaghan

Deb, you are my friend forever!! I love – absolutely LOVE – those Nabisco cookies, but if even if I can find them, they are so expensive now. My fondest memories is a simple ice cream sandwich my mom used to make. And, yes, I get the same blank stares when I try to share some recent baking discovery (“look at the CRUMB on this baguette!!! Isn’t it exciting???” Ha. More blank stares, although it all gets eaten pretty fast.)

I love your blog – this post got me out of lurkdom!

Now I have a real reason to finally get those knives sharpened…

Lynne
(who will be buying some vanilla ice cream this weekend… and will get ready to transport myself back to – gasp, I feel old – the 60’s, sharing some ‘homemade’ ice cream sandwiches with my mom…)

Now that is what I am talking about!! They look awesome…and your pictures are so vivid…I wanted to reach into the screen and take one of the stacked cookies with cream oozing out!
I’m making this recipe for sure!
Thanks =-P
Lilly

Courtney and others without a food processor — You could probably use a stand or hand mixer. But you’d need to let the butter soften more than with a FP, so you’ll probably have to chill the log longer too.

Valisa — Valrhona is not Dutched, to the best of my knowledge. Medrich said in Pure Desserts that she’s tweaked the recipe many times since its first inception — removing eggs, adding milk, adjusting levels, etc. Her current version gives no warnings about any kind of cocoa, so I would assume that all will work.

Black cocoa is a bit of a different animal — it has been heavily alkalized and it contains less fat than other cocoas, so it doesn’t always work the same as other cocoas in recipes. Random fact: It’s used in Oreos!

Suzanne — Actually, it was a bit square-ish, as were all my cookies! However, I usually form the log and of course, when the dough is soft it is hard to get it to stay perfectly round. So once it has been in the fridge for a bit, I roll it again back and forth on the counter into a better log shape and then chill it the rest of the way. (I didn’t do that this time and it was harder to re-roll it once super-cold.)

Ooh, I love the idea of ice box cupcakes. Ice box cake is something I’ve never had, though, being from a baked-from-scratch family. I’ll have to make these and build one (or many little ones) sometime.

I once made individual icebox cakes by frosting the outside too – and just set on a plate. These are so tasty and a great way to make dinner party dessert ahead of time. THANK YOU for sharing the homemade recipe – i too have been frustrated to find baking supplies in the COOKIE aisle. This is much more fun.

I saw the icebox cake before but I have to admit that is one blog I did not read all the way through.I had no idea the wafers turned into CAKE …now I gotta make it! Yeah for cupcake size so I can do it in ahem…moderation.

I actually CAN imagine your excitement in finding this homemade chocolate cookie.

(Or I wish I could)
I have been looking for a certain “cigar” cookie (it’s a rolled vanilla type cookie with this same cake like consistency, filled with some kind of wonderful creme that I can’t figure out, and half dipped in chocolate…) that I had when I was growing up (in Queens, NY) and I have not been able to find it. EVER. (And believe me, I’ve been searching!!)

These look amazing! I will definately be making them – but first, I think I’ll look for the Valrhona you mentioned. I’m not happy with the cocoa I’ve used in the past, and I might as well go with what you recommend. Is it available everywhere?

Deb, I was just wondering, where do you find the Valhrona cocoa powder? When you maid the consumnate chocolate chip cookie, you said you were able to find the discs at Whole Foods (where I did and thanks to you I make those cookies at least once a month now – YUM!). Does Whole Foods sell the cocoa powder as well?

If I were mean, I’d be making these for all of my friends who are trying to lose weight. Instead, I’ll just dream of making them. Definitely with peppermint extract and a dose of really good chocolate for dipping!

Oh I am so excited! I’m throwing an anniversary party for my daughter & son-in-law; I’m thinking this may be the perfect solution to a traditional cake. Chocolate fountain? Check. Ice box cupcakes? Check.

Susan — Thanks, good to know. I didn’t see it labeled as such anywhere on the package, or on their site. But, I know that most European cocoas are Dutched, so it makes sense.

Desiree — Thanks for reminding me. I have a great recipe for graham crackers and I need to actually post it. I made them almost two years ago.

Kellee — Whole Foods again, actually. But I also buy it at the New York Cake Supply store on 22nd. And there are many many places to buy it on the Web.

JS — I probably wouldn’t do it. They’d stay too crumbly. The Oreo cookie recipe I have on this site, although not the traditional texture, is on the soft side so you can easily bite through without making a mess. The wafers are crisp.

Okay, how are you not as big as a house? I gain weight just reading your recipes so I need to know how all this yumminess doesn’t make you blow up like the Goodyear blimp? This particular recipe isn’t the most sinful thing I’ve ever seen on your blog but it just isn’t the whole grain, fresh veggies healthiest either or to put it another way, this is just that camel’s back-breaking straw. So, what gives???

But the other thing to do, that I’m always surprised other people don’t do with icebox cake is make it with gingersnaps. Again, you could make your own, but there are also more options for natural-ish ones in boxes. Growing up, the chocolate ones were zebra cake, and ginger ones were tiger. :)

Hi – I have been closely following/lurking around your blog for months and have succesfully made and enjoyed several of your recipes. The more devoted I become, the worse I feel that I have never commented, and then longer goes by and it just gets worse and harder to up and comment. But, I could not not comment on your latest post, having grown up eating & loving icebox cake and have been creeped out and off-put by the over-processed cookies & Nabisco stronghold on the recipe. Which you know and so eloquently explained above. I was going to suck it up and make one for my boyfriend’s birthday in 2 weeks anyway, but now I’ll do it with all fairtrade, organic, homemade goodness and love – thanks to you Deb! And thanks for so many other recipes too!
-Laura

Sally — Easy: moderation! (See also, my comments in #76) I never understand why people would look at an entry about a cake made of cookies and whipped cream and assumed we’d eat more than a slice, or a single cupcake. (My fellow Gossip Girl-watchers loved helping us finish them.)

Two other ways to slice them… I have a wilton cake leveler that has a large piece of wire that works really well for slicing these kind of cookies, or another method you can use is to slip a little piece of tooth floss underneath the roll then pull up and cross over as it slices through. Either of these might be helpful, I hope!

SOLD!
How yummy is that! I plan to make these for the adults this weekend at my son’s birthday party! They don’t often go for the cake and these would be perfect for the park. I might just add some malt balls inside the filling of some.

I really wish there could be a smittenkitchen conference or some kind of get-together so we could talk to other people who like to talk about food!

I feel like this is a place where regular home cooks can get great ideas and exchange ides but still do not have to be “elite” foodies, for lack of a better description. And, sometimes I wish I had some smittenkitchen people in real life to talk to about food/cooking/meals.

Why thank you! I think it would be fun to have a get-together too. Alas, the one time I tried I discovered that far more people wanted to come (or liked to flatter me!) than I could ever find room for at a great wine bar. Maybe I’ll try again this summer.

I cannot tell you how happy I am to see this. I too had a hard time finding the wafers….I even went so far as to scrape oreos once… and yes it’s as tedious as it sounds. But I made the icebox cake once and it became such a hit I had to try and find a way around the wafer issue. My mom now buys them in bulk when she can find them. But this will may be the answer… way to go Deb!

Brilliant. I make an old-fashioned grasshopper pie–and have given up over the years because I hate those nasty chocolate wafer cookies with all their raunchy chemicals. This seems a great find. And I love refrigerator cookies. Love the things you can make ahead. (Love refrigerator muffins, too.)

The Nabisco wafer icebox cake is a childhood memory of mine that didn’t measure up when I tried to make it as an adult. Sounds like you’ve captured the best parts of that memory and I’ll have to give it another try.

Hi Deb! I’ve been wanting to try this again, but feared the packaged cookies – so this is great. I think any type of cocoa is ok here, because the recipe doesn’t have an acid in it – as I recall there’s something about cocoas and acid (like buttermilk, etc.) that makes a difference if you’re baking a cake. That being said, Valrhona is great. I made a cake that used up a WHOLE BAG (2.5 cups). It’s in the freezer and will be served on Sunday, so I’ll let you know how that goes!

If you make ice cream sandwiches with these, will they maintain a bit of the crispness? I am in search of something that will.

Schwann’s Ice Cream Sandwiches are the absolute best – and I think it has to do with the fact that the chocolate part keep just a bit of tooth to it, they don’t get soggy & mushy. The only problem is, you don’t find them just anywhere.

like I need to be eating any ice cream sandwiches anyway, might as well just smear them on my thighs ‘cuz that is where they end up! So maybe it’s a good think you can’t get them anywhere! :)

Hello.. I’ve just recently discovered your blog and am already a HUGE fan of your cooking and photography. Just lovely.

I’ve also been looking for a good chocolate wafer recipe and am excited you’ve posted this. Since you’re probably a much more experienced baker than I – Do you think this recipe would work if you rolled it out to biiiig cookie proportions and baked it? I would love to do an icebox cake with layers of single big cookies instead of several small cookies in each layer. Did that make any sense at all? chuckle.

Silvia & Patty — No, it is completely wrong. Will fix. It is actually 350.

Ann — They do. But they’re not so hard that they crumble or get ridiculously hard, which is a pet peeve of mine when people make ice cream sandwiches from regular drop cookies and the CRUNCH of biting through is enough to crack a molar.

Lisa — Of course, never tried it but give it a spin, let us know how it goes. The biggest concern, I’d think, is even baking. You might get overcooked edges before the center is baked.

I found your site by looking for a recipe for Icebox Cake and I’ve been hooked ever since. Thanks for including this recipe for the wafters as I think the Nabisco ones taste like coconut in a not-so-good way.

Oops, ok, I just found your conversion resource – v. helpful! But still an approximation of 14 tbsp of butter to grams would be so helpful… we really only measure butter/marg in grams or ozs this side of the pond!

I have wanted to make homemade versions of chocolate wafer cookies for aggggges now. Your post and photos have me convinced not to wait aggggggges more! Mostly I wanna make wee little ice cream sandwiches that I can pop in my mouth one at a time and pretend I’m not actually eating 9 days worth of calories in one sitting. Also I love the idea of making a *store bought* item from scratch, the flavors always go so well with the sense of superiority that accompanies such recipes. :) Take that store bought! Thanks for trying out the recipe and sharing it, I shall be making them soon!

This brings back memories of my dad making icebox cake for us – sooooo good! I’ve wanted to make the cake for my kids, but did not want to use the Nabisco wafers because of the ingredients list. Thank you for solving my dilemma! BTW, are those stainless stell countertops I see in your photos? I am thinking about having some installed, would you recommend them?

Made the wafers last night–they are fantastic! And after a few frustrating minutes of trying to slice the dough thin enough, I hucked the dough logs into the freezer for 15 minutes–it worked like a charm! I had no problem slicing with a sharp knife. The wafers are super-thin, crisp and completely addictive. For me, though, slicing the dough about 1/4 to 1/8 inches meant that they only took 9-10 minutes to bake through. Today: icebox cupcake assembly!

Elly — 8 tablespoons of butter = 113 grams so 14 tablespoons = 198 grams according to my pre-morning coffee math. Hope that helps! According to one site I just looked up, 1 cup of cream = 230 grams, which is probably right, although I have not tested that weight in my own kitchen (and am out of cream).

Susan — It’s a stainless steel topped kitchen cart, the only “counter” in my tiny NYC apartment kitchen. Heh, not exactly installed! However, I like the way it looks in photos and think it works great.

hi deb… i am not writing to comment on your wafers- i have not tried the recipe yet- but i do want to comment on your website overall. i have been looking on your site daily for over a year, and i must say it is the most beautiful food website out there. not only is it nice to look at, but every single recipe i have tried has worked out perfectly and i have not made a thing that has not tasted as good as it looks. your photos are amazing, and i hope you never decide to retire from this!!! keep up the amazing work!!!
from a girl in northern canada that loves to cook.

Oh, thank goodness, I’m not the only one who found it didn’t work at 250F! I made these today, and had to put them back in the oven @ 7 minutes at 350F. Definitely better. I sliced them thin (80 cookies from single recipe.) They are delicious!!! I used the last of my Scharffenberger with some Ghirardelli thrown in. I plan to make again and roll the log in crushed peppermint chips, I’ll let you know how that comes out.

I made these for a dinner guest last night and they were de-licious! I didn’t make all the cookies as I only needed 4 cupcakes, so now I am stuck with the awesome dilemma of which variation to do with the remaining cookies! Thank you for yet another tasty recipe.

looks so yummy! I wished I thought of this yesterday when I needed a chocolate graham cracker crust and couldn’t find them at the market. I saw the Nabisco wafers and thought way to expensive. I could have made them, I have a similar recipe! Thanks, I will try this one and forget about the graham crackers!

These were just GREAT! Flavoring the whipped cream (using espresso powder) it reminded me of a whipping cream recipe I’ve been trying to find again for 10 years. It was called ‘Caramelized Whipped Cream’ (or something close) and you carefully browned the cream, cooled, then whipped it was wonderful. Got ideas?

From what I have read, Dutched and natural cocoas aren’t interchangeable – the chemistry of a recipe designates one or the other, without adjustment. So, I’m glad that someone mentioned that Medrich prefers natural cocoa powder in her recipes. Though, considering that, I’m surprised by the color!

About Scharffenberger, I was under the impression that the brand name is completely going away, not that there was just going to be production changes?

I didn’t consider you boring at all when you talked about pie crusts. I could listen to you talk food for a long time, but only if I’ve eaten ahead of time! I think I’ve had lots of practice listening because of Todd, who goes non stop about stuff he’s excited about. It would be scary to see you and him talk food. Talk about all nighter!
I’ll order two dozen of these amazing cookies please, rush! Does Smitten Kitchen accept pay-pal?

you are lucky i live in a different state- or else i would stalk you just in order to become friends with you so i can taste all your treats without having to make them myself! i read each post and drool over the wonderful pictures. thank you!!!

I’ve been looking for a recipe for chocolate wafers for ice cream sandwiches. My daughter is allergic to peanuts, so she doesn’t eat store-bought ice cream (every company in the U.S. makes all their flavors on the same equipment). I’m going to have to give these a try! Thank you!

What would happen if you make this dough, but then, instead of cutting it into wafers, baking said wafers, and then making a crumb crust out of said wafers – what if instead of that you just spread the dough on a baking pan, and bake it? Do you think it will be a good crust, that way, or is the texture/consistency/whatever wrong?

This is great! We always used to have the icebox cake at Christmas time (only we called it yule log) and now that I live in the UK I can’t get chocolate wafers. I have tried one recipe, but the cookies were too thick, so I am excited to try this one, and may have to give it a shot before Christmas!

Yael — Someone asked a bit earlier about this (#171, not that I have any expectations that you’d read 200 comments before yours!) and I mentioned that my concern would be that a large cookie might bake unevenly. This is a very thin wafer cookie, a large one might easily get overly-browned edges before the center was set. But please let us know if you try it. Myself and others would love to know how it goes.

I so agree about the chocolate! After using the cocoa powder I got from Whole Foods (don’t recall any brand name on it), I haven’t been able to go back to the supermarket brand. It really tastes that much different. Of course, I’m a fan of dark chocolate vs. milk chocolate, so that may make a difference. I say, just go with whatever tastes best to you.

As for slicing the log, I’ve used a cheese slicer and a super-sharp fillet knife, both with much success. Again, whatever works best for you is the best thing to use :-)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this recipe. I ADORE the icebox cake but the commercial wafers creeped me out. These were so tasty today, even without fancy cocoa. And, as my son pointed out, since there’s no egg, the dough is safe to eat. Silly boys!

I brought these to my workplace for a birthday celebration (two coworkers share an April 1 birthday), and the response was overwhelming. The general comments were usually in the vein of “can I have three or more of these?/can you make these every single day?” I used almond extract in the icing which added a nice bit of nutty richness. Delish and so simple; thanks.

I’ve always loved the Nabisco Chocolate wafers. Does anybody remember small boxes of chocolate cookies, plain, no frosting or anything, made by Nabisco? I think the front had a cookie with a cat face drawn on it? :)

Well I’ve always love the cookie part of the Oreo and this looks like just the ticket. I have a log in the fridge right now and I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

Thanks Deb, and thanks for all the hard work you put into this site. It’s a go-to place for me when I need inspiration.

FWIW: when I sliced my log none of them crumbled. I gave it a good knead to be sure everything was smoothly incorporated and that helped. These cookies are fantastic. Thank you so much for posting them Deb. :)

You had me off my couch at the suggestion of homemade thin mints! I decided to roll the dough out, so I could use a 1 inch diameter cookie cutter. I used 8oz. of semisweet chocolate, with 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract….right on! That only covered about 1/2 of the cookies, so I’m going to try them out with dark chocolate too. So tasty! Thanks for the inspiration Deb!!

Your chocolate wafers look delicious! I tried to make them once based on (would you believe it) an ice-cream cone recipe. They tasted ‘alright’ in the end but looked just awful. Good work – am loving this blog :)

It’s possible that the Icebox Cake was the very first ‘cake’ I ever ‘made.’ With my mother. {She never ever baked anything. My baking talent comes from no one I am related to.}

This is a brilliant idea Deb– thank you for obsessing over it for years. People will often tell me my cake nightmares are nothing they’d want, but amazing recipes, and their companion ‘executions,’ come from sleepless cake nights.

Hi Deb,
I made the ice box cake using these wafers for a monthly dinner gathering, and one in the crowd said it was the best dessert we had served in 5 years! I live in Dallas so I was lucky enough to get to Central Market and used Callebaut cocoa. Oh, it’s so amazingly delicious. Hope you’re feeling well.

Hi Deb,
I made these cookies today. They were Outrageous!
My cookies did not get very crisp. Maybe they didn’t bake long enough? Any ideas?
Also, I used a technique I learned from a cooking class for rolling the dough. You put the log on a large piece of waxed paper and bring the paper up over the log to cover. Then you use the side of a thin cookie sheet to press against the side of the log until you have a tight round log. It worked well for me.
Thanks again for the recipe.
Vic

I had to come back and rave about these yummy little delights. My sister made them to go along with a cheesecake dip for my birthday party and they were a huge hit. Perfectly crispy and not so sweet that they overwhelmed the dip. I can’t wait to make them myself!

oh wow i thirded[?] this recipe and made them today. SO GOOD and incredibly easyyyyyyy!!! when i saw them i thought they’d be roll out cookies but the fact that they’re cut and bake is amazing. i had them with black coffee and they were declicious. only thing i would change is the amount of sugar, they were just a tad too sweet for me but i mean this is an awesome recipe and i shouldn’t be complaining :D
i’d never heard of this ice box cake until reading your website, maybe i’ll give it a shot sometime!

I think that you can probably freeze them safely, however, whipped cream doesn’t freeze that well. It tends to thicken and deflate. However, you can always make the cookies, freeze them until you need them, and assemble them half a day ahead of when you’d need them.

Hi! I know I could just try this recipe myself and get the answer to my question, but I figured I’d ask in case it’s an easy answer! I’m making little car cakes for my son’s birthday (http://rarebirdfinds.typepad.com/rare_bird_finds/2007/12/winter-wonderla.html)
I want to make a road to display them on, and my first thought was just crushed up oreos, but I was thinking something that could actually be easily eaten would be better. Do you think this recipe would work well in large road shaped sheets? If I cut it into an arc shape or long rectangle would the shape hold while cooking?
Thanks for your input!

If you want something to die for from the wafer cookies, try folding in a little Chambord into whipping cream and then put together in long logs. Cut on the diagonal and you have a zebra stripe effect. To top off the presentation I use a home candied violet and a small mint leaf. Thanks for the recipe. I have always used the Nabisco wafers but can’t get them here in Peru! Ron

I am wanting to make a friend a giant ice cream sandiwch cake with 3 tiers. each tier having a different flavor. I was wondering if it were possible to bake the dough in a round cake pan? or better to bake the cookies and then crumble and press into the round cake pans. ? Any thoughts…? I am not worried about the cookies not baking evenly if baked in the cake pan, and am not sure if the consistency will work if I crush and press into the cake pan – maybe I will need a binder? shortening?

i made this wafer, i think this cookie is not as crispy as i thought from seeing the photo, i think my result is too soft even i keep the log into the fridge for a day before cutting it, and i have no way to roll in if i don’t chill it! please advise! but of course i will try again. i think i always encounter problem if recipes using cup instead of gram, i cannot make an accurate measurement. since information from different websites for the conversion is different, so i am so confused every time when i change cup to gram for my recipe, can u please let me know how many gram i should use for the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and butter from this recipe.

These are so yummy, yummy, love the crisp little wafers. My first bits were too small and slightly overcooked, though making itty bitty ice cream sandwiches with them “took away some of the burnt taste” to quote my other half.

These will definitely see a few ‘uses’ in my kitchen, thanks for sharing. I wound up with salted butter as my local store was out of unsalted. I simply left out the salt and bumped the cocoa and sugar by smidges and they turned out just great. I will be checking out more of your recipes.

Tracey
Thank you for adding your experience that it worked for you with a spoon. I too really hate to haul out the large food processor.
Sadly in a Manhattan kitchen the big food processor gets stored in some inconvenient spot on the bottom of a coat closet stacked high with crap,

Oh.my.goodness. You are going to be my downfall…glorious though it will be. So far, since discovering you in a frantic google search for a decent cheese straw recipe, I’ve made those (ABSOLUTELY PERFECT), the coconut shortbread cookies, the jacked up banana bread (which I further jacked up with leftover toasted coconut ala the delicious shortbread cookies) and now this. I have never in my life purchased so much BUTTER in one year, let alone one month. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for reminding me of the pure joy of using simple ingredients to produce magical results and that my aversion to boxed, packaged, pre-fab concoctions does not have to relegate me to only salads and steamed veggies. You are amazing. Seriously, I’m swooning.. ;) Oh, I left off the creamed spinach and the creamed mushrooms on chive butter toast…I made the spinach twice. I think it may become a mainstay of my monthly menu planning. — So you have my most heartfelt thanks! <3

I’m thinking that I probably don’t need a whole case of the nabisco cookies because I’m not making that many and I really don’t have huge amounts of time as I am planning to make these for my housewarming party and I’m looking for short cuts. I’m just wondering I know I can get 100 Cal Oreo thin crisps in my grocery store ( http://www.nabiscoworld.com/100caloriepacks/100cal.aspx#/varieties/13/ ) and I was thinking i might be able to make mini cakes with these…I’m not sure if you’ve tried them or not, but do you think they’d work? they’re very similar to oreo cookies (without the cream) only a bit harder and smaller.

I made these cookies quite a while ago (with the addition of a little cayenne pepper) and they were awesome. (I used one of those wire cheese slicer things, the one attached to the marble slab, to slice my cookies. perfection)
But I didn’t make the full leap to icebox cake. The idea seemed… odd. For my Mom’s birthday it seemed like the perfect idea though. We used to buy famous amos chocolate wafer cookies and dip them in cool whip. This seemed like a grown up version.
I didn’t get to refrigerate the cupcakes a full 24 hours, and so I worried, and fretted, and apologized in advance in case they were terrible.
So.. they’re gone. Devoured. Raptured over. They will now be my go to dessert. Thank you.

I have been looking for chocolate waffer cookies for over 30 years and haven’t found them. Thank you for the recipe!!! I had to laugh when I was your “Icebox Cupcakes” — I made those over 40 years ago which is why I wanted the cookes. I dripped a small amount of chocolate sauce on the top of mine and added a cherry for looks. A wonderful treat.

I just made these chocolate wafers today – it met the need for a quick & easy chocolate fix. Because I knew I probably would end up eating most or all of them, I halved the recipe. The dough seemed very dry so I added 1/2 tsp powdered egg white mixed into 1 tsp water, which made them just the right consistency for me. I also formed them into a block approximately 1″ x 5″ x 5″, wrapped in wax paper and knocked against the table to make the edges sharp and smart. Chilled, then when I cut it, I cut it in half then sliced it into rectangles. When done, I frosted them to look like dominoes. They are cute and delicious!

Oh my! I had earmarked this recipe so that I could make chocolate wafers one day, but I neglected to notice the “icebox cupcake” recipe! My family has a long-running, funny little tradition of making what we call “wafer stacks” for St. Patrick’s Day–which is your icebox cupcake, but with cream on the sides and top too and of course, dyed just a bit green. I’ve been thinking we needed a better name than “wafer stacks” Thanks!

Oh yummy, more chocolate decadence, THANKS! Am wondering how many recipes of these it takes to make the refrigerator cake you published? Didn’t find it in the comments so far. Would prefer to take the time to make these rather than use the store bought, which are of questionable quality considering the additives and expensive on top of it.

I doubled this recipe, and the cookies are currently sitting on my kitchen counter, teasing me. One question: you mention in the recipe that it might be a good idea to let the icebox cake sit for 24 hours instead of the usual overnight, but I’m concerned that the whipped cream will deflate by then. What do you think?

I’m so glad I stumbled upon this! Been looking for something chocolatey and crisp for a layered black forest cake (I’m baking my own birthday cake- sounds sad, but since I love to bake it’s a really good present to self). These wafers seem the perfect thing to use especially because of their absorbent nature. There aren’t any icebox cakes or nabisco wafers where I live (Singapore), but from your awesomely detailed description, I feel confident enough not to do a test bake! Thanks very much for posting this :)

I LOVE this recipe! My sister used to request oreo bundt cake for her birthday when she was little, so I figured a large ice box cake would be perfect… it was. My boyfriend missed the party and has been begging for icebox cupcakes ever since. Just put the log in the fridge and he is already drooling.

The wafers have a crisp saltiness to them and and when they soften its divine. Thank you for such a great recipe (a VERY simple one too)!

Discovering you for the first time! All because I did a google search for “healthy alternative to Nabisco choc. wafers.” (You see, I’ve banned High Fructose Corn Syrup in our house.) So….. Yay!! Thanks for your totally natural version. Icebox cake here I come.

Okay. My mother has passed, but was much older than my friend’s parents. She taught me this recipe because they made it years ago – like in the 30’s. However you are all missing something that you would not know without knowing someone from that period of time. Make a log similar to the cupcakes above, but sideways, cover the entire log in the whipped cream. This takes about a pint and a half for one box (store bought). It is actuallly best the third day. Finally, shave chocolate on top (or whatever you want) and CUT AT AN ANGLE. This makes it beautiful and elegant!!! Enjoy ladies. Everyone will think you are a pastry chef.

This seems like a delicious chocolate version of something my French/Italian grandmother makes–she calls it a ‘mocha’ cake–with coffee-dunked butter biscuits layered with heavy cream, and grated chocolate on top. (She makes the coffee in one of those 2-part Italian stovetop almost-espresso pots.) If you dipped these chocolate wafers in coffee before layering… mmm! but definitely to eat sooner rather than later or i could imagine quite a goopy mess.

hi deb – i was thinking about doing a pumpkin icebox cake for thanksgiving – what do you think the measurements should be to make pumpkin wafer cookies? 2 1/4 cups flour, 6 or 7 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup canned pumpkin? and a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice?

I already try them, it is so easy, DELICIOUS!!! we ate them by itself, with icecream, with caramel and with whip cream. I agree that ingredients are a key.
Thank you so much for your advice and effort to put all this together

Thank you Deb for this recipe!!! I used the whipped cream to fill a chocolate layer cake. I added mint extract+green food colouring but it was still kinda blah. Maybe I should add some more sugar or vanilla extract next time. The texture was so fluffy and light though!

Loved the recipe.. I made my daughter the icebox cake with the Nabisco wafers on her 1st birthday… today she turned 16 and we now live in China… alas no Nabisco wafers here. I came across your site and just had to try the recipe.. Turned out great. I also used a wire cheese slicer to do the cookies.. worked like a charm. I made a rectangle log and sliced that. Thank you again!!!! another recipe for the box.

Well, if anyone makes it down here to Comment #278, you’ll be excited to know that I was successful in converting this recipe to gluten-free!!!

All I did was sub Four Bean Flour Mix, as created by Betty Hagman, RIP genius extraordinare, in “The Gluten Free Gourmet” cup for cup for the flour called for here.(Tip: Sometimes you can read this page on google books.) And because I was nervous I added an appropriate amount of xanthum gum (1/4 tsp per cup of flour for cookies). They came out awesome!

They don’t rise up and deflate, but they hold together and make delicious crispy wafer cookies! I found for my experience that at 350 deg F, I baked for 6 mins, then rotated as directed, then did 2nd half for 7 mins worked great. Also, I was using insulated metal pans, so I kept mine on the sheet for an additional 1.5 mins before transferring to a rack to cool.

Also, because they are gluten-free, you can’t overwork the flour, so rerolling into a new shape is fine. They don’t hold their shape though, and if they are piled high, they still come out super thin and crispy. (which is awesome IMHO.)

I also discovered a trick to speed up slicing a bit. I happen to have a strawberry/egg slicer, so provided roll is very firm (I stuck in the freezer for a few mins), I was able to slice 9 at a time using that tool! It left a bit on the bottom, but I found that if I grabbed that with my finger, I was able to combine that into one extra cookie.

I’m so excited because now I can make gluten-free thin mints, gluten-free oreos, and gluten-free nutty buttys!!! Thank you!!!

Oh goodness I am soo happy to have stumbled on to this.. My husband is from Canada and his mom used to make him “Zebra Cake” using the chocolate wafers. Well we don’t get those in this part of South Carolina (or anywhere in the state I think) so I have to have his mom mail me the cookies, but with this reciepe I can finally make his favorite desert, Thank you soooo much. It also makes me feel better knowing whats in it too because he also has a peanut allergy. now I can treat him with ease and just in time for christmas…

When I make ice box cookies, I use three wafers. I add home made whipped cream and put the cream between the wafers, but I add cream to the top wafer and sprinkle chopped walnuts to the top and then freeze. OOOOHHHHH my god are they good.

I was really excited to try this, but when I made the cookies, they came out with big holes in them, almost like lace cookies. What did I do wrong? I thought it may have been because since I dont have a food processor I made them in my stand mixer, could that be the culprit and they were simply under mixed?

Donea – I tried converting mine to gluten-free and they were very thin, no matter how thick i cut the slices. I also made mine with a stand mixer because our food processor motor went out, but mine were fine. So my guess is that it might be the baking soda actually. I just learned yesterday that baking soda is what makes cookies spread out, so perhaps try with a little less?

I also would suspect they might have been overcooked a bit – maybe your oven runs hot? Which rack did you bake them on, and for how long? Did you rotate as suggested? I bet they still taste awesome though! =)

You’re my new hero!!!! This is just what I needed. I’m an oreo addict, but can’t tolerate gluten or milk anymore… gonna use this and try GF flour and shortening instead of butter, and a thick vanilla frosting or something between 2 wafers and see if that satisfies my oreo craving! Thank you! :D

I am having the exact same problem as Donea (Comment 281). I did use a food processor to make them, so I doubt that was the culprit. Perhaps I used too much flour/butter, but I usually measure very carefully. In addition, I’m having trouble slicing the cookies, so I’ll go back and try all of the techniques sugested in the comments. Maybe I chilled it for too long (two days?). I wonder if I didn’t compact the log enough. I’m going to wait for them to warm up a bit, squeeze it tighter, then try again.

Hello,
Thanks for posting the recipe! Just a few thoughts about the wafers. I cut mine using an electric meat slicer. Nice even cookies and paper thin. My cookies also came out a bit lacy. I think this could have to do with the fact that did not cut my fat into the dry ingredients sufficiently with the food processor. I will try this recipe again. I am really searching for a recipe where the cookies will soften in 8hrs!

I just made these for a friend’s birthday, hoping they’ll be similar to his beloved Oreos. In an attempt to make them more Oreo-like, I added a dash of salt and some extra powdered sugar to the whipped cream. I guess we’ll have to see tomorrow!
I had no problem with spreading at all. In fact, I had to flatten them out on my silicon mat (It’s love, people. Buy one.) because they wouldn’t spread and were kind of thick. That might have been due to the fact that I always lower my oven temperature five degrees after I pop the pan in there. But I’ll never change my ways.
Thank you for the recipe! The dough was rather delectable. :]

I am making a bumblebee themed cake for my daughter and was wondering if you had a recipe for vanilla wafers, or any suggestions as to how to alter this recipe for a vanilla style wafer. I would just love to do the icebox cake with intersperced black and yellow wafers.

This was the first recipe I tried from your website and the results were wonderful! I made these cookies with organic, unbleached flour (I always use that for baking) and “Ruddy Red” cocoa powder (dutch process), which imparts a dark colour and a great flavour. I am not sure if this cocoa powder is available everywhere, but I found it at a bulk store near my house. The cookies were great on their own and the cupcakes were wonderful. They took about 6 hours to soften in the fridge. I can’t wait to make these again in the summer time as ice-cream sandwiches.

Thanks for this post, even though I didn’t end up needing it until almost 2 years later…! I am currently living in Australia with my husband and am (not surprisingly) unable to find so many of the things I’m used to back home, not the least of which being Nabisco chocolate wafers. When Valentine’s Day rolled around I thought we’d have to go without our traditional cookie stacks, but Smitten Kitchen saved the day.

Deb, have you ever scooped these cookies instead of cutting them from a log? I’m obsessed with my mini scoop right now and would love to scoop dough from the fridge if it seemed like they would bake up okay. Any insight would be much appreciated! Thanks!

I am SO excited that you have a recipe for these cookies!!! I’m always seeing recipes that call for chocolate wafers, and you’re right, the ONLY ones out there are the Nabisco cookies, which are expensive and never, never on sale!!!

Just made these with VEGAN substitutions – Earth Balance for the butter and chocolate almond milk for the regular milk, and added 1tsp of instant coffee to the milk before adding it – I love coffee in all chocolate things.

One recipe gave me 80 2″ cookies, though I was not consistent and cut between 1/4 and 1/8″ as I was going along. All set for icebox cake tomorrow!

My wafers are kind of brown, and when i add the cream, the second day after they absorb it , they become even lighter !!
how can i make them black ( as black as the Oreo cookies ) ??
Thanks for ur help!!
i Love the recipe!

Don’t shoot me for a heretic… :D I just made these. In my teeny tiny galley kitchen. WithOUT a food processor and withOUT a pastry blender (wouldn’t know one if I saw it–hands are a marvelous thing if you’re willing to get them a little dirty) and withOUT fancy chocolate (Tollhouse cocoa totally works if you haven’t completely converted to the fancy stuff). Oh yeah, and I subbed whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour. Ladies and gentlemen, it still works. These things are totally addictive.

I made the cookies, they were so easy to make and came out perfectly! I am now going to make the cupcakes. I have been wanting to recreate Billy’s icebox cake since we first tasted it about 9 months ago. Thank you so much for the recipe! I have Alice Medrich’s BitterSweet cookbook, but have only made her cheescakes from this cookbook. Looking forward to your cookbook. I used Valrhona cocoa powder from WF and just want to mention that it is acutally less expensive in bulk than purchasing a box of many other brands of cocoa powder once per ounce.

Glad to see I am not the only New Yorker who cannot find Nabisco chocolate wafers and then, when I do, blanch at paying over $5 a box for them. Occasionally Gristedes (on 103rd St) has them, but now I no longer need to wait for the lucky day when they are in stock there. Thanks!

this was a bit laborious but worth every minute!!! i love-love-loved the cookies and so did everyone i gave them to. i’m not a huge sweets person so the bittersweet chocolate and whipped cream was the perfect balance of richness and mature flavor. thank you for publishing this!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for this recipe!!!!! I live in Alaska, and there are very few stores to shop from (like…3…including WalMart) I have been dying for some chocolate wafers to use in a raspberry fool, but there are none up here. I KNEW there would be a recipe out there somewhere for some!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! …Again! I will be making these VERY soon!

I was looking for a crisp chocolate wafer recipe for an dessert I was thinking of trying out. This one looks like it will fit the bill nicely (I have another one with less sugar, but I think I’ll prefer your method). My plan is to use the wafers as a base for a gourmandise kirche cheese with a slice of ripe strawberry on top. Serve with a dessert wine (I’m thinking of a nearly-local vin des trois). Can’t wait to try this.

Just made the cupcakes and thought they were the most adorable things I had ever seen. I topped them with another dollop of whipped cream and some star shaped sprinkles. They were even better after 2 days in the fridge. Tasted just like devil dogs! Thanks for a great recipe!

Thank you deb for the recipe that looks delicious, and carrie ann for the gluten free adaption! I have been looking for a wafer cookie to use for a frozen pie crust (frozen peanut butter with candied bacon, uhh, yum!) and can’t find store bought ones anywhere. Who needs em, I can make my own!

I made these gluten-free tonight, and they came out well. I used Bob’s Red Mill AP g-free flour cup for cup, with 1/2 t xanthum gum. Technically it should have been 1/4 t. plus 1/8 t. but I threw in more for good measure. I also used almond milk and earth balance butter substitute, which I’m sure affected the fat content, though not too adversely. The batter stayed pretty wet (I suspect it’s because of the almond milk, but I can’t say decisively), never really coming into clumps in the food processor, which also made it hard to form a decent log shape. Once it chilled, it sliced up okay (still wetter than the pictures, fortunately it really didn’t matter in the end) but the important thing is that they baked up great – puffing up and then deflating, and even crisping fairly well. I was happy with the adaptions. Thanks!

Woohoo! I live in a town where none of the stores carry the famous wafers. Like you I have been looking for a from scratch option. I love the icebox cakes but I also love to use the wafers in my homemade vanilla ice cream and it tastes better than store bought cookies and cream ice cream. Thanks for the post.

Here in Argentina we have a similar cake but instead of whipped cream we use dulce de leche mixed with sour cream… it`s so good. We also soak the chocolate wafers in a mixture of coffee and water but our commercial cookies are hard so it`s necessary.
Love, love, love your website
Regards from Buenos Aires

My son begged to have me make ice box cake cupcakes for his birthday at school. After experimenting with the cupcake I decided they were too difficult to transport and too hard for the Kindergarten kids to eat without a huge mess. Instead I layered the cookies and whipped cream in those short clear plastic cups, covered each one with plastic wrap (I sprinkled crumbs from the broken cookies on top of the last layer of cream for decoration) and stacked them up in the fridge overnight. I easily re-stacked 24 of them into a shopping bag with some spoons and walked 5 blocks to his school. It was a HUGE hit with the kids!!! It was firm enough for a candle for him to blow out too. You’ve never had a compliment on your cooking until you have 1/2 a dozen 6 year old kids asking you to give their mom the recipe. Even the teachers’ had one, which they never ever do with cupcakes, and they even kept the 2 that were left over instead of insisting I take them back with me. Best of all, there was no mess, no crumbs, no frosting and cupcake paper all over.

Wow these were a hit in my office! I couldnt find the bottom part to my food processor (dont ask.), so I melted the butter till it was liquidy, but not clear and used a handmixer instead. I dont keep whole milk, so I used 2%, and they came out crisp and perfect! Great recipe- will make again!

Like Andrea, I plan on transporting icebox cupcakes in jars to a picnic. I was concerned about making the wafers just right to fit the jars. I was wondering if it was possible for me to roll out the cookie dough into a thin sheet, rather than cutting from a log, and use the jars as cookie cutters to get a uniform size that would fit in the jars. What do you think?

Hi Zchef — I haven’t rolled this dough out before but in general, most doughs that can be sliced and baked can also be rolled out, though it will pick up a bit more flour and be at more risk to toughen (though I’m sure it won’t be terribly noticeable). It seems like it would be easier to just measure your jar opening’s diameter and make the log that size to slice from. Hm, okay, on second thought, that will not account for spreading. (Clearly, I’m thinking this out as I’m typing it!) I’d bake a few cookies that are 1/2-inch smaller in diameter than your jar’s opening and see how much they spread. If they’re too big for the opening, go another 1/2-inch smaller on your next batch until you have figured out what size cookies you’ll need. Good luck!

i love icebox cakes but wanted to try something different, so i tried Anna’s Cookies (http://www.annasthins.ca/) instead of the Nabisco wafers. The cookies are really thin and kinda small, but they soften beautifully under all that whipped cream. The ginger cookies sandwiched with bourbon flavored whipped cream was particularly luscious. Mmmm… i’m thinking the orange cookies sandwiched with chocolate whipped cream would be good too…

we tried a similar recipe to these cupcakes, where we iced the stacks with whipped cream to make individual cakes. our twist was using peanut butter flavoured whipped cream, and adding a thin coat of peanut butter to 2 of the layers. delicious! we used store bought wafer cookies, but can’t wait to try it again using your recipe for homemade wafers for a flavour upgrade!

You just saved my rear! I sent my husband out for wafer cookies this a.m., so I can make a chocolate icebox cake for my birthday cake (on Thanksgiving Day, so a double function dessert!). He came back with *not these*, and then I discovered how difficult these are to find! I googled the cookies — of course SK popped up. THANK YOU!! =)

Thank you for these…already got the ingredients and will be testing out my very bad baking skills tomorrow. The icebox cake has been in my family for as long as I can remember and you will be a hit with all 6 of my brothers and sisters if I make these successfully! Thanks again!

They’re similar, but the Oreo cookies are more of a sugar cookie, with an egg in a drop-like dough (i.e. rolled balls that flatten when they bake). These are thinner and more delicate with no egg for sturdiness and they don’t spread much. But if you’re asking whether these would make good Oreo cookies, I’d say absolutely.

So, months after seeing (and daydreaming about) the icebox cake recipe (thanks to your surprise button!) and this one for the homemade wafers, I might have the chance to make it for one of my best friends’ engagement party (yeap, that’s me, tiny gal in super tiny kitchen thinking BIG :D). I wonder if I have to 1.5* or double the recipe of the chocolate wafers to have enough for the icebox cake (how many would I need for the cake actually? According to your recipe I calculated 77, perhaps some more to make the decorative layers – is that correct?). I read through all the comments (to both recipes – yes, I’m THAT geek, but yield seems to vary, I suppose it depends on how thin the slices are, but thought I should still ask you, just to be on the safe side :).

Thanks in advance for your response (and I’ll never thank you enough for all the recipes, the assistance and the never-ending inspiration),

Whilst I’ve been a subscriber for a long time I had no idea you had a recipe for these! I grew up in NY and am very familiar with chocolate whipped cream refrigerator cakes. Out here in CA no one has heard of them or, if they have, try to make it with chocolate sandwich cookies and non-dairy whipped topping. Ahhh, they are missing such a treat especially if they have children. They are almost $5 a “sleeve/box” out here and only make one cheesecake crust (ewww, sorry, dislike graham crackers) so I’ve been hankering for a less pricey and homemade variety. Will have to try these tomorrow not only for future use as crumbs but as starting point for other desserts and, of course, nibble on with a cuppa caffeine in any form. Thank you so very much!

Hi there! I just remembered that I had left a comment here, but even if I’ve answered my own question when I made the cake, I forgot to come back here to give this answer!!!
I made 1 1/2 batch of these and got 88 (counted one by one :p) chocolate wafers, which were perfect for one icebox cake. I had some wafers smaller than others, but I arranged them smartly when I made the cake and no one noticed!!!
And now I’m off to the icebox cake post to leave a proper comment on the cake !!!

I was exactly seeking a creative kitchen witch who had perfected the illusive “Icebox Cookie”!!! And Blessed be!…A little Smitten Kitten pops right up!:) Love when that happens!:)
I was gifted with 3 qts. of fresh heavy cream, my homemade vanilla was just screaming to be tried, and what Chickie can’t motivate into choco-mode (quickly) with the thought of Icebox Cake going before the fam for no reason except, perhaps that it might be Monday?:)
You truly rock, Darlin’…Thank you, & I’ll definitely be back!:)

After moving to Germany a few years ago and not being able to find chocolate wafers, this recipe is a saviour! Finally can do something about the cravings for the icebox cake. Thank you so much for sharing!!! Wow, I’m drooling. :)

oh my goodness, i LOVE these cookies. i also love spicy chocolate, so i added 1/2 tsp each cayenne and cinnamon. they taste like mexican hot chocolate! so so tasty–thanks for your amazing vault of recipes, this blog is my go-to for just about anything.

Thank you for the wonderful recipe! It worked great, and if my husband can keep his fingers out of the cookie jar I will make some stacks with ginger whipped cream.
I just love it if I can make something from scratch instead of buying it.

These look great. I finally read the label on the Nabisco’s and I immediately started to search for an alternative. Now I’m off to search for a homemade marshmallow recipe as we invented our own variation on s’mores. Microwave a marshmallow on a chocolate cookie and cover with a second chocolate wafer.

I was so excited to find this! Icebox cake is my favorite dessert in the whole wide world. Ever. I love the idea of a cupcake. I’m a little sad about the wafer recipe though. The Nabisco wafers have coconut in them and I think it’s essential to their incredible deliciousness. If I make a mean comment like the condescending quiche dude would it inspire you to make a recipe with coconut?

Hi Amy — No, we try not to reward people for meanness on Smitten Kitchen. ;) Very interesting about the coconut. I hadn’t realized and it’s been so many years since I’ve had a real wafer (so hard to find), the flavor escapes me. Try making these with all or part coconut oil (the solid stuff) and I think you’ll get what you’re looking for. I think a small swap will go a long way to imparting coconut flavor.

Yummy! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Question – would it be possible to freeze the rolled log? You mention you can freeze the end product for 2 months, so what do you think of the dough? It would be handy to have a ready to go biscuit mix for those last-minute visits.

When I saw this recipe about a year ago I bookmarked it and vowed to make these delights asap (along with pretty much everything from the celebration cakes section..) Finally, I made them for a party I was hosting last weekend. Oh my goodness, if you were even thinking about trying these do not hesitate…make them immediately. I added about 3 tablespoons of Woodford Reserve Bourbon to the whipped cream when it was almost perfectly whipped but still a touch loose. I used a pastry bag so I could quickly plop a dollop in the center and smush them into lovely little stacks. They were otherworldly and my guests flipped… out of the 5 desserts I made they were the most raved about. I even caught a friend hiding a spare in the fridge for later. Deb, you are amazing. I always come here when I want to create something with lots of wow and even more yum. Thanks!

Those are Icebox Cookies!
We never had the icebox cake, instead our mother always made icebox cookies — three cookies stacked with plenty of fresh whipped cream in between.
And, of course, that’s what I make for my kids!
Enjoy.

Tried to make these but the shape of the cookies did not fit into cupcake liners. I guess I didn’t put two and two together and realize the log needs to be round, or as round as possible. Luckily I had a huge container of whipping cream so just made the icebox cake instead and it was a great success.

Kudos to the nth degree, Deb, with this recipe! I have been looking for a chocolate ice box cookie recipe to convert easily to gluten free for our family. It works fantastically replacing the wheat flour with Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour and adding 1 tsp of xanthan gum (added to the dry ingredient at the start-some folks mix it instead with the wet ingredients) to replace the gluten that helps baked good stick/hold together. Perfect! Worked as scripted.

Yummy! I just made these for Mexican dinner night, so I also added 1/2 T cinnamon, a generous pinch cayenne and a pinch of black pepper. They were very yummy.

Truth be told, I was trying to add only 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, but I was working in a strange kitchen and the “1/2” measuring spoon I grabbed turned out to be a 1/2 tablespoon instead. The spicing was fairly powerful, so cutting back to 1/2 t would probably be a good idea.

Just used this fantastic recipe (again!) using as I had done the first and second time a gluten-free flour substitute (Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten FreeFlour mix) to make a cookie-based ice cream cake for my son’s birthday. The only big name ice creams we will use are Breyer’s (mainly) and for an extra special treat the Haagen Dazs-neither of which contain the emulsifier/thickener made from seaweed carrageenan that is in tons of liquid and dry dairy products, as well as just about all soy and almond milks. It is a known inflammatory that especially causes celiac and gluten-sensitive folks to react.

At any rate I digress, I used Deb’s recipe – putting some of the dough as a bottom crust – baking it in a springform pan (though next time I may just used the baked cookies crumbled for the base. Cooling it down…used Haagen Dazs-three flavors for first layer of ice cream-outer ring chocolate, middle coffee, then inner vanilla. Then crumbled a goodly amount of the baked cookies for a layer over the ice cream. (Really should have put the ice cream cake in the freezer for a bit then first layered the fudge sauce then put the cookies on…ended up with the fudge sauce on top b/c I forgot it.) Over the layer of cookies put the rest of the ice cream using the three-flavored ring formation. Froze it until I could get the fudge I forgot on top easily…froze it again then put a vanilla butter cream frosting on top…back to freezer until hard enough to remove the sides of the spring form and frost the sides and quickly put on Happy Birthday – back to freezer for some more time.

Brought the ice cream sandwich version of these to a 4th family party – every one raved about them – outstanding recipe even when made with a gluten-free flour. No one could believe they were GF!

Just wanted to update that I’ve made these again, this time with Natural Cocoa as Alice suggests in the intro [At least in “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy”] and they did puff and deflate. I think the last time I’ve made them, I used dutch cocoa, so maybe because it doesn’t react with baking soda, they didn’t deflate? On the other hand, you’ve made these with dutch, so… ~shrugs while eating a cookie~

Amazing cookies, and the perfect base for chocolate bowls – partially inflate a small balloon, dip in melted chocolate, place on cookie. When the chocolate hardens, pop the balloon and carefully peel away. Fill the “bowl” with pastry cream, berries, fruit slices of choice, and VIOLA!

Hi! I’m not from the US, so we don’t have the wafer cookies, or whole milk. So first off, i substituted whole milk with half and half of evaporated milk and water. I also didn’t have a food processor, so everything was done the old-fashioned way – by hand. It was pretty heavy, but it could be done.
After 4 hours in the ref, I couldn’t seem to get to cut the log without the dough sticking to my ceramic knife, so I froze the log for an hour, and it came out firm enough to be cut easily without crumbling. I’m not a skilled cutter, so I ended up cutting it about half and inch thick. My cookies didn’t turn out as thin as i’d like, but those that were a little thinner did turn out nice and crispy. Even if they weren’t crispy, they’re still wonderful cookies, and enjoyable. Can’t wait to make my next batch! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!

This may be a dumb question, but I’m guessing that the icebox cupcakes will need to be eaten with a fork? Instead of a regular cupcake, where you can just peel off the wrapper and eat it with your hands?

Michele — We ate them with our hands. Maybe we’re slobs? :) They soften and kind of merge after a bunch of hours so it’s closer to eating a cake. If they’re not soft yet, then definitely, with a fork is better.

Ok, Deb, I’ve been reading your blog for a long time, so I can’t believe I never saw this post until now.

I was born on August 22, 1988, into 110 degree temperatures. It’s so hot every year in my hometown around my birthday that my mother (a wonderful cook) refused to bake. THUS – I’ve had “Zebra cake” EVERY. SINGLE. BIRTHDAY. SINCE. My birthday is not my birthday without it. Like you, I like barely sweetened whipped cream. I tend to add a raspberry sauce to cut the richness. So divine.

Anyway, I’m on my own now, and quite a prolific baker (despite my tiny and cranky 1950s Wedgewood stove), but it never would have occurred to me to bake the damn cookies myself.

I am beyond excited to try this out and THANK YOU for making my 24th birthday extra super duper special. Luckily, I now live in the Bay Area where the cool weather makes it perfectly acceptable to turn on the oven in August.

well if this isn’t what I was looking for, Deb this is the BEST recipe eve…but I have to say I was looking for a very thin cookie so the slice and bake did not do it for me, plus I could not get them as round as I wanted either, one side was flat so this is what worked for me…
sliced of a thin slice and then rolled the dough into a ball then placed it onto the parchment and with the ball of my palm flattened it out, with my fingertips patted it more into a nice round shape…took some time but cake decorating, cookie making, cupcake decorating is an art and sometimes you just have to take your time and get the right results that you are looking for…they are good, very good…thank you for this great recipe<3

I don’t spend much time on baking blogs due to guilt. I own many many cookbooks that any spare time is invested in trying to utilize my cookbooks. Your blog is now included as a new resource. Your creative recipes, instructions and commitment to excellence makes your blog a winner.

I have made Medrich’s recipe several times. I don’t roll in a log though. After making dough, I roll (thinner than 1/8″) between plastic wrap immediately (easier that way). Stack several layers on a cookie sheet in freezer. When ready for baking project, remove from freezer, loosen top plastic and lay back on gently, flip over and peel off plastic wrap, cut while frozen with desired cutter; bake fresh as needed. Advantage is that I can cut larger or smaller depending on the dessert. Ice cream sandwiches are made with 4 inch cutter (dock), small square cutter (1-3/4″) for enrobing in couverture. Don’t bother re-rolling scraps for pie crumbs. Just bake scraps. There is no limit to what you can do with these. I often add mint oil to the dough. bake until CRISP and enrobe in tempered chocolate . If I want a bit softer cookie, I add 2 tbsps sour cream. So for the ones who want perfectly shaped cookies without chipping away at a frozen log, this works for me.

Congrats on your success Deb. I have YOUR cookbook on my list and it will displace one of my others. That’s saying a lot. It has to be really special to displace one of my cookbooks.

Been searching for a recipe like this for YEARS. I will look no further. Thank you!!! I moved to New Zealand a few years ago and we definitely cannot get the Famous Wafer brand of these cookies so making them was my only option. Plus, they are just so expensive. This will be my go-to recipe from now on. Perfect!

I was just lamenting that I want to make ice box cake for Thanksgiving, but the cookies were SO expensive. A friend pointed me in this direction. Cannot wait to try a batch this weekend! And brilliant idea of making indivdual servings!!

I was looking for a chocolate wafer recipe and found you with Google. Very happy that it took me here. The recipe is easy to do, and a wonderful and much better version than any store bought variety. I found a 3/8 inch slice to be perfect, and in my oven, it took about 6 ½ minutes to cook. I think the length of time is not as important as the 1½ minute time to remove the cookies after they deflate. I’m using them as the cookie base for a dark chocolate cheesecake recipe from Epicurious.

I like your site. I will have to try your apple tart with caramel. You should try the Leslie Mackie apple tart (from Baking with Julia), but if you do, contact me for the tips needed to make it come out correctly.

Memories of “zebra” cake (made with the Nabisco wafers) are fond from my childhood – I used to adore (OK still do) the log cakes my mom would make! Although I have no problem getting hold of the Nabisco wafers here in Philly – I find many a use for them (crumbled on ice cream anyone?) – I love the idea of a homemade version. I made these as the “kids” dessert for a New Years party last night (bc I also made your red wine velvet cake from the cookbook, not a kid dessert), but I’ll admit I was more excited about, and liked the “zebra” cupcakes even better than the fancy dessert! Heres a pretty picture of the double yumminess: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47937624@N00/8335336467/in/photostream

(Which reminds me, do you/will you have a spot on the blog for questions comments on cookbook recipes? For example I found the red velvet cake really dense and I wonder if it was user error or the nature of the cake. I always learn SO much about any given recipe from the comments to your online recipes….)

Kelly — Looks beautiful! Not sure how the red velvet ended up dense. Can you tell me anything more about the process or texture? (I’ve made it so many times for family — they’re addicted — and it should be very, very moist with a almost chewy crumb.)

Made these wafers and they came out fantastic, husband proclaimed them the best cookie I ever baked!
Decided to use them in the chocolate cookie crust for the chocolate silk pie in your book but this turned into a disastrous cookie puddle in the oven!!!! What happened? Why?? Have you used these wafers with that pie recipe?

(Ended up molding the still warm cookie mudslide back up against the pie pan till it cooled down and stuck, then further cooled in the fridge. Went ahead and made filling anyway and the whole thing is now in the fridge, will have for dessert tonight.)

Update – The Chocolate Silk Pie was delicious and got rave reviews from my guests, thank you for another wonderful recipe!
I knew the crust was not what it could have been though… I do believe I followed the recipe exactly and am still wondering where it went wrong?

Has anyone ever tried freezing/refrigerating longer the log of dough and then slicing it with the slicing disk of a food processor? I have a hard time staying consistent with the thickness of things when I’m slicing them. Thank you!

I couldn’t get these to work at all – just crumbled – unable to actually slice them. Should I have added a bit more milk so they would stick together better? The fragments do taste good, but I totally failed to make a well shaped cookie. Please help!

Follow up: after an hour in our deep freeze I was not successful in getting good slices with the food processor, so I cut by hand, which went better then I thought it would. I used a small round cookie cutter (1″) to make the log even. (Made a log as best I could then ran the cookie cutter through the log.). Using the small cookie cutter I was able to make bite size cupcakes, a bit bigger than a mini muffin. Yum!

OMG, I’ll no longer be a fraud! It’s a dream come true. I can’t wait to try these. Despite that I am a “professional” Chef, my chocolate bombe- a simple variant on the Famous Wafer refrigerator cake is one of my most requested items. I rarely offer it to paying customers as it feels like cheating but, whenever I’m really short on time for a “bring something” type event of my own, I frequently make one. I always keep a package of those cookies around for just such an emergency. My friends can’t get enough of it. Now I’ll be able to keep the cookie dough in the freezer and make the real McCoy of my own. I will finally be able to look my friends in the eye when they ask me about the recipe and I won’t have to hide in shame in the packaged cookie aisle! Horray! My customers will be the big winners though. Cannot wait to give it a whirl. What can I say….you ROCK!

Ben — I slice and bake them, so they stay round. As for getting the tube of dough round, my trick is to form the soft dough into as close of a round tube as I can, refrigerate the dough until it is semi-firm (maybe 15 minutes), and then roll the tube back and forth on the counter to make a smoother/ideal shape, and chill it the rest of the way (until it is firm enough to slice).

hooray!! i’ve been meaning to do just this since i discovered ice box cakes last year. i wanted to share the flourishes i added, because like you said, this kind of cooking detail to the wrong ears is dull beyond compare.
SO! i had a cup of crushed almonds that had been steeping in vodka with dried apricot, a cinnamon stick & a vanilla pod for a month for homemade extract. i mixed the nuts (which had softened a bit in the brew) in thewhipped cream, which added a wonderful textural contrast. i saved a handful for carmelizing which got sprinkled on top. divine!!! now to replicate it with your recipe for homemade chocolate wafers!! thanks for sharing it!!!

I just tried this recipe last night, and it came out PERFECT! I tried someone else’s recipe over the weekend, but the cookies were still a little soft in the middle (I’m going for Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers). The other recipe had the same process as yours: refrigerate, slice, then bake. I just could NOT get those to crisp up right even though I cooked them double what the recipe said.

When I made your recipe, I decided to do a couple test cookies first. This is what I did different:

1. I mixed all my ingredients with the whisk attachment on my KitchenAid mixer. Also, my butter was at room temperature. I mixed my butter and sugar first then sifted my dry ingredients. I slowly added the dry ingredients as my KitchenAid mixed. Then I put my milk and vanilla in a little cup and slowly poured in as it mixed.

2. I did not refrigerate my dough before cooking. I put the dough on the pan at room temperature. (I felt like maybe the other cookies didn’t spread enough to get crispy, so I thought it would be ok to test.)

3. I cooked the cookies on two different pans. Each pan had three different versions of prep (for a total of 6 test cookies). I have a tbsp ice cream scoop and scooped out a level tbsp for all of the cookies.
For variation #1, I rolled into a ball and put on the sheets. I would NOT recommend this. It just came out wrong.
For variations #2 and #3, I rolled into balls and then flattened with the bottom of a glass cup (anything with a really flat surface will work) to two different thicknesses (3/16″ and 1/8″). (FYI, you might want to wrap the bottom with wax paper to prevent sticking. It started to stick about have way through flattening.) The one that came out the best was the one that was a little thicker (3/16″). When cooked, the cookies came out to about 2.5″-3″ in diameter.

4. The first pan was an aluminum half sheet pan with a silicone mat.The second kid was this insulated kind: http://reviews.bedbathandbeyond.com/2009/BBB16794090/reviews.htm
I have used the insulated sheets for years (first my mom’s as I was growing up, then my own when I got married) and only recently started using the aluminum pans with silicone mats. I don’t know why I switched, but I never should have. I cooked the cookies for 12 minutes. The cookies on the silicone seemed slightly burnt on the edges, or at least darker. The ones on the insulated sheet were cooked perfectly and evenly. Also, I did not rotate my pans. Both pans fit on the same rack in my oven.

To make a long story short, I think every recipe takes some trial and error because everyone’s kitchen is different: from the supplies to the oven to the atmosphere. I found what works for me, BUT it all started with a solid recipe. I didn’t change any of the ingredients. I only changed the process slightly. THANK YOU for posting this. I know it’s been four years since it’s been posted, but it has helped me out tremendously. According to snackworks.com, there is only one place in my area that sells Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers, and it isn’t close to home. You have not only saved me time, but also money. Again THANK YOU!

I loved the program description for this: “The Daley family is legendary and their mystique rivals the Kennedy’s but, everyone is a winner when it benefits the Joffrey.” And benefit the Joffrey it did to the tune of $54,740 which was the total raised from both the silent and live auctions. Congrats Susanna and Tom! You did a great job! Other silent auction items included tickets to a Notre Dame game, a private dance class for eight with dancer Fabrice Calmels, tickets to a Steppenwolf play, dinner for 10 at the new steakhouse Mastro’s, Bulls tickets, Tony White 18K gold earrings and a private jet for four to Art Basel Miami Beach with VIP all-access among many other exciting offerings. space jams for sale http://www.google.im/webmasters/tools/richsnippets?url=run2013.org/ceshi8.html

Hello and thank you! This looks easy and perfect for parties. Do think this recipe would still work if I substitute earth balance for the butter, soy milk for the whole milk, and full fat coconut milk for the dairy cream?

Thanks a lot for the inspiration! I’m almost unable to make anything just right as it is said in the recipe (however, with your recipes I usually try :)) and I added mascarpone cheese to the cream, to great effect and certainly to unimaginably higher calories level. But the taste is great and these cookies are simply perfect for mascarpone.

As earlier commenters mentioned, the recipe was missing the essential coconut flavor of Nabisco Famous wafers, so I substituted unrefined coconut oil (the kind that still smells and tastes like coconut) for 6 T of the butter. I doubled the recipe, sliced my wafers about 1/16″ thick, and got incredible results. Enough for a BIG icebox cake and a bag of leftover wafers for the freezer. Never again, Nabisco! I am freeeee, I tell you! FREEEEE!

Donna — No, but I have thought about it all the time! I’m not joking; it’s an obsession of mine and I just haven’t auditioned it yet. I imagine that they’d be a huge pain to get big and thin. You’d probably want to roll them between two pieces of parchment. I’d also be concerned that they may warp or not end up flat, but I bet a slightly lower cooking temperature might help. Would love to hear if you try it, how it goes.

I am addicted to baking “new things” and often end up with a big mess, but I am really wanting to try this and stack many thin layers into an actual cake. I think I will try the recipe as listed first then try the big cookies. ( Unless of course I can’t help myself…)

I just knew you’d have a chocolate wafer recipe Deb! I’ve been an avid follower for years, attended the Seattle book signing and can’t wait for my daughter’s preschool to create witch hats (chocolate wafer as rim/base, Hershey’s kiss for cyclone of hat and orange Swiss buttercream as the glue!) from these! By the way, you should really explore Washington wine country. Cheers!

I’m going to try making this in a heart-shaped log cookie mold I found at a thrift store. It’s a heart-shaped aluminum tube, open at both ends.

For store-bought wafers, I like the 100-calorie packs of Oreo Cookie crisps. I used them to make a graham-cracker type crust as the bottom layer of a moist cake. They don’t have filling. I guess you could also use regular Oreos and remove the filling.

I made these as a welcome-back treat for the 8th graders I tutor, but I am legitimately concerned I’m going to eat all 20-some cupcakes before Monday afternoon. These are delicious! Like an extra-fudgy oreo after a long soak in milk. I made these as a follow-up to your homemade oreos, and I definitely prefer the texture and level of sweetness in these.

These look amazing!! Just wondering if I could use these as the base of a cheesecake which normally calls for the super-expensive Nabisco chocolate wafers? Would much rather use homemade than packaged!!

Following up to comment #385 and #386, I too tried to use these homemade wafers as the base for the cookie crumb crust in your Chocolate Silk pie, and it was a fail. It’s pretty obvious to me that the reason is that it is an over abundance of butter problem – lots of butter IN the cookies, and then the crumb crust calls for lots of added melted butter. Deb or others – have you come up with a successful ratio? After crumbling the cooked homemade wafers, how much (if any) additional melted butter needs to be added before pressing the crumbs into the pan?

I’m making the Chocolate Silk Pie again for Thanksgiving. Despite he crust failing last time (see #424) the taste was so fantastic, I’m going for it again. Since the original recipe with the store bought wafers calls for 5T of butter, I’m going to start with 1-2T and see what kind of texture that gives the crumble. (It should be pretty easy to tell, right?, b/c it just needs to be enough butter to bind the crumbs and allow them to stick together when pressed into the pie pan and baked). I’m feeling pretty confident that’s going to be the right amount. Will report back. (Sorry MDD it may be too late for you).

Hi Kelly — I think you’re going in the right direction — it might just need less butter, as I’m sure these are more rich than the storebought ones. Keep us posted! And thanks for the silk pie reminder; haven’t made it since testing recipes for the book, would be perfect for this Thursday.

Didn’t think to check back here sooner – but to be safe (and lazy) I went with the Teddy Grahams! I just got the crust out of the oven; it’s looking mighty crumbly, but am hoping the filling will help to keep it all hanging together. Good luck Kelly, and hope Thanksgiving is great!

Reporting back: made crust with 195g of cookies (1.5x weight called for in Silk Pie recipe, but definitely needed more crumbs to fill my 9″ pie pan) + 1 Tbsp. Melted butter (+ dash of salt + 1t sugar). Came together and I used. Might go up to 1.5T butter next time as it was slightly crumbly pressing into pie plate. Will update again after eating tonight – see if he crust holds together! Happy TDay peeps!

Hi Kelly — Reporting back to you, as I just made the silk pie. (I wasn’t kidding, thanks for the reminder.) I checked the cookie volume again and, for my pan, 1.5 cups was enough, but of course weights will vary depending on the type of cookie. It absolutely needed less butter; I used slightly under 4T for the 1.5 cups of crumbs, and I skipped the sugar because the cookies I made were actually sugar cookies, so pretty sweet. I made these cookies minus the filling (because I couldn’t find any decent plain chocolate cookies at the store) which I should have mentioned as an even-easier option — I make them entirely in the FP, then just scoop and bake — and they make ideal chocolate crumbs. Finally, my question: Do you maybe have a deep-dish pie pan instead of a standard one? That would explain it seeming thin for you. Hope you enjoy the pie and have a great day.

Okay so I know this post is forever old but I am desperate. I am lame and discovered icebox cake through magnolia bakery and now I am on a mission to make mine taste like theirs. The recipe for these wafers, which is AMAZEBALLS and if I were using them for anything else I would love it, is almost too chocolately for me?? I would say that this is impossible but I am sensitive to chocolate. The magnolia cake doesn’t have one overwhelming flavor, both are just pretty subtle whereas this one screams chocolate for me. I hate to be that annoying person like “ugh this recipe is not like this other one that I had come on Deb GAH,” I’m just wondering if anyone has had any luck making some wafers that aren’t quite as loud.

Final report: crust using this recipe + 1T butter was crumbly upon cutting pie (but still yummy, a hit with TDay guests), but certainly was WAY more of a success than when I made it with 5T. It was close. With 195g of cookies (weighed pre-crumble) (and Deb, I don’t know if my pan is deep dish; looks like a regular ‘ole Pyrex pie plate to me), I think I’d try 2T of melted butter next time. (See also comments #429, 426, 424).

I made this cookie two years ago for Christmas but lost the recipe. I couldn’t remember where I had found it. They were the most asked for cookie by my family. I made some 1/2 dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with peppermint crush. Best chocolate cookie I’ve ever made. So glad I found you! Thank you. This is on the top of my cookie list this year. And I bookmarked it this time. Happy Holidays!

So glad to find this recipe. The Christie chocolate wafers don’t taste the same as they did a couple of years ago. The company must have made some recipe changes, and the last three cookie cakes (as we call them) I made, didn’t even get eaten all up. They didn’t taste chocolaty, they tasted like the cookies were about ten years old even though they were freshly bought. So, very excited to make the cake with these homemade cookies! Thanks for sharing.

FWIW…regarding the Nabisco chocolate wafers, I was not looking for them because I use this recipe now, but at the grocery store the other day, I found them with the ice cream toppings, of all places (I was looking for topping nuts)! I had thought they quit making them, so no wonder I never found them with the other cookies! Your store may not do that, but it’s worth a look if you aren’t making these!

reminder to myself — FREEZE the sliced cookies before baking — so much less spreading!

i made these cupcakes (for the 3rd time) for a coworker’s going away party and added peanut butter to the whipped cream this time — super indulgent, rich, peanut butter cup result. will definitely be doing that one again!

these look soooo good, but i’m curious – why the recommendation to bake on the top rack, then move the sheet to the bottom rack halfway through baking? do they need the extra heat when they first go in the oven?

Speaking from experience, there is a HUGE difference between cocoa powders. I’m not talking Dutch process v. non-Dutch process, but darkness/flavor wise. Ghirardelli is significantly darker/stronger than regular Hersheys and the like. Valrhona Is deeper and richer still. So if you’re going to splurge on any one thing, I’d go with cocoa powder. It produces a significant difference all the way through to the finished product in every kind of baked good I’ve ever made.
My question for Deb, ever substitute coffee for the milk? I’d do a combo, but it’s such a small amount…

Made a double recipe as a round icebox cake for my daughter’s fifth birthday party, with just over three cups cream whipped, and it was a perfect size for 10 kids & accompanying parents. Fantastic flavor & very festive looking with the sides left as exposed cookies & the top covered in whipped cream & rainbow sprinkles. Great recipe!

I have been TRYING to find a crispy chocolate cookie recipe that would be suitable for crumbling to make a pie crust without having to resort to purchased chocolate grahams or deconstructing Oreos. I have just made your recipe for the first time & I know I have a WINNER with it.

I did do a few things differently in processing the dough.

First, I used a pastry blender after dumping everything into a bowl. The result, after cleanup, was quicker than using our food processor, and it was a simple one-bowl recipe – just perfect for a guy in the kitchen!

Next, I used my smallest scoop. When leveled, it holds a tablespoon of dough. I scooped level scoops onto a plate, which I chilled in the freezer. When I finished scooping all the dough (it made 51 cookies), the 1st plate (single layer of dough balls) was adequately chilled to put on the cookie sheets.

I lined each cookie sheet with parchment. I tore an extra sheet of parchment. I put one ball on the prepared cookie sheet, set the extra parchment on top, and pressed the dough ball into a flat disk using a wide, flat-bottomed drinking glass. After pressing each one, I immediately peeled the parchment off the just-pressed cookie, which kept the parchment from sticking to the dough and pulling up gobs of dough when removing the parchment from the top. I repeated this process for all 12 cookies on the sheet. Each cookie was 2 1/2 – 3 inches wide.

I baked one pan on the rack set to the top 1/3 of the oven at 350 degrees for exactly 14 minutes & then removed the pan, replacing it with the next.

I immediately slid the parchment off the hot pan onto the cooling rack & let them rest a few minutes. Then, I slid the cookies off the parchment & let them completely cool on the rack.

The result is a very crispy chocolate cookie that easily came out uniform in shape without any breaking of the dough when trying to slice slices off a cookie dough log.

I really appreciate you posting the recipe, as it resolves an issue that I have desperately been trying to overcome. I may never use it to make “icebox cupcakes,” but it will be a staple among my recipes. I can’t wait to perfect Chocolate Cheesecake, because these cookies are PERFECT for the crust!

I could not include the following info in my previous comment, because I used too many characters – but I could not find any limit listed in the comment guidelines. No problem. I will continue with what I did differently …

I did do something different that I think probably affected the taste of the cookie. Instead of milk, I used chocolate almond milk, which we keep in the house. The resulting cookie was a little too sweet for my tastes. However, the kids absolutely fell in love with the cookies, and they do satisfy my chocolate craving sweet tooth! The next time I make them, I will either reduce the sugar by the extra 2 tablespoons specified in the recipe, or I will use the unsweetened vanilla almond milk we also keep in the fridge.

Again, this is a WINNER of a recipe, and I can’t wait to crush a batch to use for a pie crust. This is exactly what I’ve been wanting before I tackle Chocolate Cheesecake!!!

I used David’s suggestion(#444) to scoop and roll the dough into small balls and refrigerated then for about 20 minutes. I used a piece of plastic wrap when pressing down the dough with the glass. Perfect circles as thin or thick as you want!

I made these wafers for the ice box cake about a year ago. There were leftover wafers that I put in a container and into the freezer and proceded to forget about. I just stumbled on them tonight. They were just as outstanding as they were when they were just made. We polished them off, chased with strong coffee. So very good. I’m gonna do another batch and keep them in the freezer for those impromptu cravings/dessert “emergencies” ;)

OMG, These chocolate wafer cookies are to die for!!! They are so rich and chocolatey — if they don’t satisfy your choco-cravings, nothing else will. Rather than do a slicing log, I rolled them into balls and rolled them into some raw sugar I had. I baked them at 350 for 15min, turned the oven off, took them out and flattened them with the bottom of a glass, returned them to the cooling oven and just let them sit. They came out so crispy/crunchy, just what I was looking for in a hard-wafer cookie. I do the same thing with my ginger snap recipe since I love a really hard-crunchy cookie. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!!! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

These cookies are delicious! I love refrigerator cookies because they don’t take long to make, mix up dough one night, slice and bake the next. These have a wonderful flavor, not too sweet. I’ll definitely add them to my cookie list!
Maybe I’ll try the icebox cupcakes, they’re cute! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!